Having to name just one dumbest female character on PASSIONS is tough. But Gwen's year-long failure to recognize the growing romance between her fiancÚ and the housekeeper's daughter puts her ahead of the pack. She didn't catch on when she spied Theresa in Ethan's arms. Or when she found them cuddling in front of a fire. Not even after walking in on Ethan telling an unconscious Theresa that he loved her. Instead of trusting her instincts, the falsely confident (ex) bride-to-be put her young foe in charge of the wedding, then crowned her maid of honor. It's a miracle that Ethan didn't dump her just for being a bumbling fool.

Since Gwen's idiocy also essentially fueled the entire Ethan/Theresa love story, we were willing to accept it, even if it was sloppy storytelling. It would have been more interesting - and believable - to have emphasized the fact that Gwen's willingness to believe everything was okay was based on her unflinchingly self-defeating determination to appear happy, whatever the cost. Now that she's faced the truth, Gwen's grown some brains - and the story's gotten a lot smarter.